Cry
by Usami
Summary: /songfic, Tira POV/ After Tira's heart is broken by Carrot, she feels a little lonely. What she discovers, however, is that she isn't the only one who does...


"Cry" © Mandy Moore

**Cry**

As I walked through the forest, I heard heavy footsteps following me.

"Go away!" I yelled.

"Tira, I'm sorry!" Carrot whined pathetically.

"I'm not falling for that one again!"

"I mean it, I'm sorry!"

"Forget it! Why don't you go chase some other girls, like you always do!"

I heard his footsteps come to a halt, then started up again, going in the opposite direction. So, he's given up? Finally. He's been at it for a while.

Finally alone, I slowed my pace to a walk, inhaling deeply the scent of the pine forest. Birds chirped above my head, colorful dots against the heavy rain clouds, as a lazy breeze fluttered by, causing my crimson hair to sway slightly.

But I still felt really angry at Carrot. How could he leave me like that? HE was the one who invited me to go eat lunch with him in town.

We had gone to the restaurant together, and had begun to order when he said he needed to leave for some reason.

I had been waiting for him for at least an hour, when saw him through the window flirting with another girl. I couldn't help myself, and I just got up and left. He had followed me back to the church, and then through this forest.

My anger finally died down, as I continued to walk through the tranquil woods. I had given up with Carrot a long time ago. He obviously wasn't interested in me, and the chase had lost its appeal. Besides, he seemed more interested with other girls instead of me.

I had been walking for a while, when I saw someone standing nearby out of the corner of my eye. His long, ebony hair swayed softly in the wind, as his hand rested against the tree.

**I'll always remember  
It was late afternoon  
It lasted forever  
And ended too soon**

Marron? What was he doing out here? Oh, well. It wasn't like that was new. Marron often went into this forest by himself. Every once in a while, I would come out here to take a walk and collect myself, and I would see him. I would never stay that long though.

But I began to wonder why he came out here so often. Curious, I quietly snuck closer to get a better look at him. I don't even think he was aware of my presence at all. It sort of surprised me that he didn't know I was there, since he was so astute about his surroundings. As I got close enough, however, I realized why Marron hadn't sensed me at all. It seemed he had enough on his mind already.

Tears were running down his pale cheeks.

**You were all by yourself  
Staring up at a dark gray sky  
I was changed**

I had to control myself so a gasp wouldn't escape. It would have totally violated Marron's privacy. But still………Why was he crying? What was wrong? It was heartbreaking to see someone like Marron, who was usually so calm and collected, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

He usually had all his emotions under control. Safely tucked away where it was hard to reach them. The only exception I had ever seen was when Carrot was injured. But this was an emotion that he hardly, if ever, showed.

Then I remembered that Marron believed that he was alone. So, did he only let it out when he was by himself?

**In places no one would find  
All your feelings so deep inside  
It was then that I realized  
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry**

Is this what he always did when he was alone in the forest like this? Every time I had seen Marron standing by himself in the forest, it was only for a brief moment, and either he or I had left right after. Never before had I stayed around long enough to notice that he was……crying.

It was so different from Marron's usual behavior. Usually, Marron's eyes were dark, revealing little emotion if any. Sometime anger would seep through, especially during an assignment, but only that. Otherwise, Marron seemed pretty cold to the world.

And yet, I had always felt that there was more to him than he let on.

**It was late in September  
And I've seen you before  
You were always the cold one  
But I was never that sure**

I bit my bottom lip. Poor Marron. Whatever it was that was upsetting him, it must have been really bad. I couldn't stand to see a close friend of mine like Marron hurt that much, especially by himself. No one should have to go through hard times alone.

I approached him.

**You were all by yourself  
Staring up at a dark gray sky  
I was changed**

"Tira!" he said, surprised.

I smiled. "Hey Marron."

He turned his back to me, trying to hide the fact that he was crying. Yeah, that worked.

"What's wrong, Marron?"

"N……"

"And don't tell me 'nothing,' because I know that something must be upsetting you badly in order to make you cry. Now tell me honestly, from a friend to a friend, what's wrong?"

He turned back to me, wiping away the tears remaining. "It's……just that……I……" He sighed. "This will sound really foolish, Tira."

"I'm sure it won't. And if it does, I promise not to laugh."

That made him chuckle slightly, but it was a somewhat pained chuckle. "It's just that……I feel……jealous……of my brother."

"Jealous?" I asked, amazed. "Of Carrot? Why?"

"Because of you and Chocolate."

"What does my sister and I have to do with it?"

"You and your sister……how do I say this? ……care for my brother……in more than just a friendly way."

I _used_ to. But I didn't say anything.

"My brother has two people who are willing to care for him that way for WHO he is. I on the other hand……"

"What?" I asked.

"People are drawn to me for what I look like. They don't even know me. And they don't really care. They don't want to get to know me."

I had to admit, Marron did have a point. Many girls have looked at him, and talked about how 'cute' he was, and how they wanted to be Marron's girlfriend. Even Gateau showed off in front of Marron because he considered the mage 'beautiful.' But they never really took the chance to really talk to him.

"But even though that's true, Marron, how can they get to know you when you conceal everything from everyone around you? You keep your real feelings hidden from the people around you. How can they find out more about you if you refuse to open up?"

**In places no one would find  
All your feelings so deep inside  
It was then that I realized  
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry**

He stared at me. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Finally, he nodded. "You're right," he said.

"If you want people to get to know you, the real you, then you're gonna have to take away your defenses just a bit to let them have the chance to know you."

Pain seemed to shoot through his eyes. "But, I'm not sure if I know how to do that."

"Do what?"

"Open up myself."

**I wanted to hold you  
I wanted to make it go away  
I wanted to know you  
I wanted to be your everything**

There was a crash of thunder, as rain began to descend from the sky. Yet neither Marron or I took our eyes off each other.

He has kept his defenses up for so long, he doesn't know how to take them down. He wanted others to know the real him, but that couldn't be done if he didn't know how to let that part of him be revealed to others.

"Maybe I can help you," I offered.

"How?"

I took his hand in mine. "I don't know. But if you want others to know the real you, then I'm going to help you open your heart."

He smiled softly. "But do you know the real me?"

I looked up at him. "No. But I would like to."

Suddenly, he bent down, and our lips met in a sweet kiss.

**I'll always remember…  
It was late afternoon…  
In places no one would find…**

I ran my fingers through his damp hair, as his hands moved to my back, pulling me closer to his body. I didn't resist. My hand moved down to his neck.

Finally, he pulled back, his golden eyes meeting my crimson ones. "I…I'm sorry…I…" A thin, red crimson streak appeared, tainting his pale cheeks.

I placed a finger on his lips. "Shh," I said. "It's alright. I don't mind."

"But…I thought…"

"I've gotten over my feelings for Carrot a long time ago. He wasn't interested in me that way, and I had to move on with my life."

More tears formed in the corner of his eyes, but these were different tears. "Thank you," he whispered.

I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth I felt from him. I knew what he meant. And because of my reflective glasses, he couldn't see the tears that were forming in my eyes either. The tears in my eyes, the feeling in my soul was the only reason I knew Marron had tears in his eyes too. For this common feeling between us, we didn't mind crying.

**In places no one would find  
All your feelings so deep inside**

**(Forever was in your eyes)**

**It was then that I realized  
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry**

**The End**


End file.
